LEGENDS ABOUT BREAD.
As might be expected in an article of such worldwide consumption
as bread, there is a considerable amount of folk-lore and sayings
attendant on it. We can even find it in Shakespeare, for, in _Hamlet_
(Act iv. s. 5), Ophelia says: ‘They say the owl was a baker’s
daughter.’ This, unless one knew the Gloucestershire legend, would be
unintelligible, but the bit of folk-lore makes it all clear. The story
goes that our Saviour went into a baker’s shop, where they were baking,
and asked for some bread to eat. The mistress of the shop immediately
put a piece of dough into the oven to bake for Him, but was reprimanded
by her daughter, who, insisting that the piece of dough was too large,
reduced it to a very small size. The dough, however, immediately
afterwards began to swell, and presently became a most enormous loaf;
whereupon the baker’s daughter cried out: ‘Heugh! heugh! heugh!’ which
owl-like noise probably induced our Saviour to transform her into that
bird. This tradition is also current in Wales; but, there, the baker’s
daughter altogether refuses to give Jesus a bit of dough, for which
He changed her into the _Cassek gwenwyn, lilith, lamia, strix_, the
night-spectre, _mara_, the screech-owl.
In the catalogue of the pictures at Kenilworth, belonging to Queen
Elizabeth’s Earl of Leicester at the time of his death (September 4,
1588), are ‘The Picture of King Philip, with a Curtaine,’ and ‘The
Picture of the Baker’s Daughter, with a Curtaine.’ And he had a copy of
the same, or another picture of ‘The Baker’s Daughter,’ at his house at
Wanstead. Whether this was a picture of the foregoing legend or not, no
one can tell; but it has been suggested, from the fact of King Philip
and the baker’s daughter coming in sequence in the catalogue, that it
was the portrait of a female respecting whom there was some scandal
current during Mary’s lifetime; it being said in an old ballad that
Philip loved
‘The baker’s daughter, in her russet gown,
Better than Queen Mary, with her crown.’
Here is another story of miraculous bread. The _Mirakel Steeg_ (Miracle
Street), at Leyden, derives its name from a miracle which happened
there in 1315, and which is thus related in the _Kronyk van Holland van
den Klerk_: ‘In the aforesaid year of famine, in the town of Leyden,
there occurred a signal miracle to two women who lived next door to
each other; for one having bought a barley loaf she cut it into two
pieces and laid one half by, for that was all her living, because of
the great dearness and famine that prevailed. And as she stood, and was
cutting off the one half for her children, her neighbour, who was in
great want and need through hunger, saw her, and begged her, for God’s
sake, to give her the other half, and she would pay her well. But she
denied again and again, and affirmed mightily and by oath that she had
no other bread, and as her neighbour would not believe her, she said in
an angry mood: “If I have any bread in my house more than this, I pray
God that it may turn to stone.” Then her neighbour left her and went
away. But when the first half of the loaf was eaten up, and she went
for the other half which she had laid by, that bread was become stone,
which stone, just as the bread was, is now at Leyden, at St. Peter’s
Church, and as a sign they are wont, on all high feast days, to lay it
before the Holy Ghost.’
A stone loaf, supposed to be this one, is now shown at the hospital in
Middelburg, where, in the vestibule, hangs an old picture representing
the miracle at Leyden. The original stone loaf, it is believed,
disappeared from Leyden about the time of the Reformation.
Of all extraordinary uses to which a loaf of bread could be put is that
of ‘sin eating,’ by which, at a funeral, a man was found who would for
a small fee eat a loaf of bread, in the eating of which he was supposed
to take the dead man’s sins upon himself. In a letter from John
Bagford, a famous bookseller, dated February 1, 1714-15, relating to
the antiquities of London, which is printed in Leland’s _Collectanea_,
he says: ‘Within the memory of our fathers in Shropshire, in those
villages adjoyning to Wales, when a person dyed there was notice given
to an old sire (for so they called him), who presently repaired to the
place where the deceased lay, and stood before the door of the house,
when some of the family came out and furnished him with a cricket, on
which he sat down, facing the door. Then they gave him a groat, which
he put in his pocket; a crust of bread, which he eat; and a full bowle
of ale, which he drank off at a draught. After this he got up from the
cricket and pronounced, with a composed gesture, _the ease and rest of
the soul departed, for which he would pawn his own soul_. This I had
from the ingenious John Aubrey, Esq., who made a collection of curious
observations, which I have seen, and is now remaining in the hands of
Mr. Churchill, the bookseller. How can a man think otherwise of this
than it proceeded from the ancient heathens?’
This MS. of Aubrey’s, of which Bagford speaks, is, most probably, that
now preserved in the British Museum (Lansdowne MSS. 231) entitled
‘Romains of Gentilisme and Judaisme,’ and dated February, 1686-7. In it
he thus writes:
‘SINNE-EATERS.—In the County of Hereford was an old custom at funeralls
to have poor people, who were to take upon them all the sinnes of the
party deceased. One of them, I remember, lived in a cottage on Rosse
Highway. (He was a long, lean, ugly, lamentable poor raskal.) The
manner was, that when the Corps was brought out of the house, and layd
on the Biere, a Loafe of bread was brought out, and delivered to the
Sinne-eater over the corps, as also a Mazar-bowle of Maple (Gossips’
bowle) full of beer, which he was to drinke up, and sixpence in money,
in consideration whereof he tooke upon him (_ipso facto_) all the
Sinnes of the Defunct, and freed him (or her) from walking after they
were dead. This custome alludes (methinkes) something to the Scapegoate
in ye old Lawe. Leviticus, cap. xvi. verse 21-22: “And Aaron shall lay
both his hands on the head of the live goate, and confesse over him all
ye iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions
in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall
send him away, by the hand of a fitt man, into the wildernesse.” This
custome (though rarely used in our dayes) yet by some people was
continued even in the strictest time of ye Presbyterian government; as
at Dynder, _nolens volens_ the Parson of ye Parish, the relations of a
woman deceased there had the ceremonie punctually performed according
to her Will; also the like was done at ye City of Hereford, in these
times, when a woman kept, manie yeares before her death, a Mazard bowle
for the sinne-eater; and the like as in other places in this Countie,
as also in Brecon, _e.g._, at Llangors, where Mr. Givin, the minister,
about 1640, could no hinder ye performing of this ancient custome. I
believe this custome was, heretofore, used all over Wales’.
‘See _Juvenal_, Satyr vi. (519-521) where he speaks of throwing purple
thread into the river to carry away one’s sinnes.
‘In North Wales the Sinne-eaters are frequently made use of; but there,
instead of a Bowle of Beere, they have a bowle of Milke.
‘Methinkes, Doles to Poore people with money at Funeralls have some
resemblance to that of ye Sinne-eater. Doles at Funeralls were
continued at gentlemen’s funerals in the West of England till the
Civil-warre. And so in Germany at rich men’s funerals Doles are in use,
and to everyone a quart of strong and good beer.’
Anent these doles, Pennant says it was customary, when the corpse was
brought out of the house and laid upon the bier, for the next-of-kin,
be it widow, mother, sister, or daughter (for it must be a female), to
give over the coffin a quantity of white loaves in a great dish, and
sometimes a cheese, with a piece of money stuck in it, to certain poor
persons. After that they presented in the same manner a cup of drink,
and required the person to drink a little of it immediately.
Sin-eating survived the times of Aubrey and Bagford, for in a book,
_Christmas Evans, the Preacher of Wild Wales_, by the Rev. Paxton Hood,
Lond., 1881, he says: ‘The superstition of the Sin-eater is said to
linger, even now, in the secluded vale of Cwm-Aman, in Carmarthenshire.
The meaning of this most singular institution of superstition was,
that when a person died, the friends sent for the Sin-Eater of the
district, who, on his arrival, placed a plate of salt and bread on the
breast of the deceased person; he then uttered an incantation over the
bread, after which he proceeded to eat it, thereby eating the sins of
the dead person; this done, he received a fee of two and sixpence,
which, we suppose, was much more than many a preacher received for a
long and painful service. Having received this, he vanished as quickly
as possible, all the friends and relatives of the departed aiding his
exit with blows and kicks, and other indications of their faith in the
service he had rendered. A hundred years since, and through the ages
before that time, we suppose this curious superstition was everywhere
prevalent.’
Bread and salt are used in several ways. In Russia, Servia, and
wherever the Greek Church holds sway, they are presented to
honoured guests as a welcome. The custom even obtains in England. A
correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ (5 Series ix. 48), says: ‘Some
years since I called for the first time on Canon Percy, of Carlisle, at
his residence there. When refreshments had been offered and declined,
he said: “You must have some bread and salt,” with some remarks to
imply that it was the way to establish a friendship. These were then
brought in and eaten, without anything to lead one to suppose that this
was an unusual custom in the house.’
There was another curious custom in the North of England, as another
correspondent shows in the same volume (p. 138): ‘In the North Riding,
20 or 30 years ago, a roll of new bread, a pinch of table salt, and a
new silver groat, or fourpenny-piece, were offered to every babe on
its first visit to a friend’s house. The gift was certainly made, more
than once, to me, and I recollect seeing it made to other babies. The
groat was reserved for its proper owner, but the nurse, who carried
that owner, appropriated the bread and salt, and was gratified with
a half-crown or so.’ Several other correspondents confirm this, and
somewhat enlarge upon it, including in the gift an egg and a match. One
(5 Ser. x. 216) thus explains the custom: ‘The custom of presenting an
egg, etc., is widely distributed. I can answer for it in Lincolnshire,
Yorkshire, and Durham. In Lincolnshire, at the first visit of a new
baby at a friendly house, it is presented with “an egg, both meat and
drink; salt, which savours everything; bread, the staff of life; a
match, to light it through the world; and a coin, that it may never
want money.” This is the case at Winterton, where it is still done. In
Durham, a piece of christening-cake is hidden under the child’s robe,
and given to the first person of the opposite sex met on coming out
of church. This is wholly distinct from the egg presentation.’ It is
common at Edinburgh, and in other parts of Scotland, to give bread and
cheese, on the Sabbath, to the first person of the opposite sex met
with when the baby is taken to church to be baptised.
One of the most peculiar uses to which a loaf of bread could be put is
the discovery of the bodies of drowned persons. The earliest instance I
can find is in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ for 1767, p. 189. (It is also
in the _Annual Register_ for the same year.) ‘Wednesday, April 8.—An
inquisition was taken, at Newbery, Berks, on the body of a child, near
two years old, who fell into the river Kennet and was drowned. The jury
brought in their verdict, Accidental death. The body was discovered by
a very singular experiment, which was as follows: After diligent search
had been made in the river for the child, to no purpose, a twopenny
leaf, with a quantity of quicksilver put into it, was set floating
from the place where the child, it was supposed, had fallen in, which
steered its course down the river, upwards of half a mile, before a
great number of spectators, when the body, happening to lay on the
contrary side of the river, the loaf suddenly tacked about, and swam
across the river, and gradually sunk near the child, when both the
child and loaf were immediately brought up with grubbers ready for that
purpose.’
This superstition has survived till modern times, as the following
three or four instances will show. On January 24, 1872, a boy named
Harris fell into the stream at Sherborne, Dorsetshire, near Dark Hole
Mill, and was drowned. The body not having been found for some days,
the following expedient was adopted to discover its whereabouts: On
January 30, a four-pound loaf, of the best flour, was procured, and a
small piece cut out of its side, forming a cavity, into which a little
quicksilver was poured. The piece was then replaced and tied firmly in
its original position. The loaf, thus prepared, was then thrown into
the river at the spot where the boy fell in, and was expected to float
down the stream until it came to the place where the body was supposed
to have lodged, when it began to eddy round and round, thus indicating
the sought-for spot; but on this occasion there was no result.
A writer in _Notes and Queries_, January 3, 1878, p. 8, says: ‘A young
woman has singularly disappeared at Swinton, near Sheffield. The canal
has been unsuccessfully dragged, and the Swinton folk are now going
to test the merits of a local superstition which afirms that a loaf
of bread containing quicksilver, if cast upon the water, will drift
to, keep afloat, and remain stationary over any dead body which may be
lying immersed out of sight.’
The _Leeds Mercury_, October 26, 1883, has the following: ‘A Press
Association despatch says: Adelaide Amy Terry, servant to Dr. Williams,
of Brentford, was sent to a neighbour with a message on Sunday
evening, and as she did not return, and was known to be short-sighted,
it was feared she had fallen into the canal, which was dragged, but
without success. On Tuesday an old bargewoman suggested that a loaf of
bread, in which some quicksilver had been placed, should be floated in
the water. This was done, and the loaf became stationary at a certain
spot The dragging was resumed there, and the body was discovered.’
The following is from the _Stamford Mercury_, December 18, 1885:
‘At Ketton, on Tuesday, an inquest was held by Mr. Shield, coroner,
touching the death of Harry Baker, aged twenty-three, who was missed
on the night of November 27, after the termination of the polling for
the county election, and was believed to have walked into the ford,
near the stone bridge, during the darkness. The river at that time
was running strongly, and deceased had no companions with him. The
dragging-irons from Stamford were obtained, and a protracted search
was made in the river, but without result. However, in obedience to
the wish of Baker’s mother, a loaf charged with quicksilver (said to
have been scraped from an old looking-glass) was cast upon the waters,
and it came to a standstill in the river at the bottom of Mr. Lewin’s
field. Here the grappling-hooks were put in, and at four o’clock on
Monday afternoon last the corpse was brought to the surface, having
been in the water seventeen days. The river had been dragged several
times before at this spot.’
Nor is this superstition confined to England, for in Brittany, when
the body of a drowned man cannot be found, a lighted taper is fixed
in a loaf consecrated to St. Nicholas, which is then abandoned to the
retreating current, and where the loaf stops there they expect to find
the body. In Germany the name of the drowned person is inscribed on the
bread. And a somewhat similar idea seems to obtain among the Canadian
Indians, for Sir Jas. E. Alexander, in his _L’Acadie_ (p. 26), says:
‘The Indians imagine that in the case of a drowned body its place may
be discovered by floating a chip of cedar-wood, which will stop and
turn round over the exact spot. An instance occurred within my own
knowledge in the case of Mr. Lavery, of Kingston Mill, whose boat
overset, and the person was drowned near Cedar Island; nor could the
body be discovered until the experiment was resorted to.’
Aubrey (_Remains of Gentilisme and Judaisme_) says he had the following
from old Mr. Frederick Vaughan: ‘The Friar’s Mendicant heretofore would
take their opportunity to come to the houses when the good woemen did
bake, and would _read a Ghospel over the batch_, and the good woman
would give them a cake, etc. It should seem by Chaucer’s tale that they
had a fashion to beg in rhyme—
“Of your white bread I would desire a shiver,
And of your hen, the liver.”’
And Aubrey’s friend, Dr. White Kennet, says in the same book: ‘In Kent
and many other parts the women when they have kneaded their dough into
a loaf cut ye form of a cross on the top of it.’
I have been favoured by the Rev. T. F. Thiselton-Dyer, whose works on
folk-lore are so deservedly well known, with the following notes on
superstitions about bread:
‘Throughout the world a special respect has always been paid to
bread as the “staff of life.” Hence, according to a trite and common
saying: “The man who wastes bread will live to want.” It is not
surprising, indeed, that this food of man, which in some form or other
is indispensable, should have from time immemorial been invested with
an almost sacred character, anyone who is recklessly careless of the
household loaf incurring risk of poverty one day himself.
‘At the outset, it may be noticed that, as a precautionary measure
against mishaps of any kind, many housewives were formerly in the habit
of making the sign of the cross on their loaves of bread before placing
them in the ovens, a practice which is still kept up in some parts of
the country. Various explanations have been assigned for this custom,
the common one being “that it prevents the bread turning out heavy.” In
Shropshire one day remarked an elderly maidservant: “We always make a
cross on the flour before baking, and on the malt before mashing up for
brewing. It’s to keep it from being bewitched.” Some, again, maintain
that the sign of the cross “keeps the bread from getting mouldy,” but
whatever the true reason, it is persistently adhered to in the West of
England. As, however, evil spirits and malicious fairies were generally
supposed to be powerless when confronted with the sign of the cross,
there is every reason to suppose that this is the origin of this
superstition.
‘In days gone by, too, bread was used as a charm against witches, no
doubt from its being stamped with the sign of the holy cross. Herrick,
for instance, in his _Hesperides_, alludes to this usage in the
following rhyme:
“Bring the holy crust of bread,
Lay it underneath the head;
’Tis a certain charm to keep
Hags away while children sleep.”
‘Bread, too, has long been employed as a physical charm for the
cure of various complaints. Thus, an old book, entitled _A Work for
Householders_, written in the early part of the 16th century, gives
this charm as in use for the toothache. “The Charmer taketh a piece of
white bread, and saith over that bread the Pater Noster, and maketh a
cross upon the bread; then doth he lay that piece of bread upon the
tooth that acheth or unto any sore, turning the cross unto the sore or
disease, and so is the person healed.” Then there was the famous Good
Friday bread, which was in request for its medicinal virtues, being
considered a sovereign remedy for diarrhœa when grated in a small
quantity of water. An anecdote is told of a cottager who lamented that
her poor neighbour must certainly die, because she had already given
her two doses of this bread, but, unfortunately, without any success.
Indeed, in days gone by, so much importance was attached to bread thus
baked, that there were in most parts few country houses in which it was
not to be found. At the present day also one may occasionally find the
custom kept up, especially in the Northern counties, where so many of
the old beliefs survive.
‘But these are not the only ways in which bread has been the source
of superstition, it having held a prominent place in numerous curious
ceremonies. Thus sailors used it as offerings to propitiate the
elements; and we are told how the seafaring community of Greece, in
the 17th century, were accustomed to take to sea 30 loaves of bread,
consecrated and named St. Nicholas’ loaves. In case of a storm these
were thrown into the sea one by one, until they had succeeded in
calming the waves.
‘Oblations of this kind were of frequent occurrence in past years. The
Russian sailor, in order to appease the angry spirit that troubled the
waters of the White Sea, would cast into the water a small cake or loaf
made of flour and butter. Again, a Norwegian story states that a sailor
wished, according to custom, to give on Christmas Day a cake to the
spirit that presided over the waters; but, when he came to the shore,
lo! the waters were frozen over. Unwilling to leave his little offering
on the ice, the sailor tried to make a hole; but in spite of all his
efforts it was not large enough for him to put his cake through.
Suddenly, to his surprise, a tiny hand, as white as snow, was stretched
through the hole, and seizing the offering withdrew with it.
‘To give a further illustration, we are told by a correspondent of
_Mélusine_ (Jan., 1885) that in the Isle de Sein “a little ship made
of bread crusts is suspended over the table, and on Holy Thursday it
is lowered down and burnt, while all uncover and the _Veni Creator_
is sung. Another bread ship is then suspended over the table. This
ceremony is known as the Ship Feast, and is designed to insure the
safety of the family fishing boat.” Among further beliefs current among
sailors in our own country is the notion that it is unlucky to turn a
loaf upside down after helping oneself from it, the idea being that for
every loaf so turned a ship will be wrecked. It is also said that if
a loaf parts in the hand while being cut it bodes dissensions in the
family—the separation of husband and wife.
‘Once more, bread is not without its many traditions and legendary
lore. According to a popular tale told of the City of Stavoreen,
Holland, there resided in it a certain rich virgin, who owned many
ships. One day she entertained a wizard, but gave him no bread. In
consequence of this serious omission he predicted her downfall,
remarking that bread was the most useful and necessary thing. Soon
after a shipmaster was bidden to procure the most valuable cargo in the
world. He chose a load of wheat; but on arriving with his cargo, he
was ordered to throw it overboard. It was in vain that he begged to be
allowed to give it to the poor. Accordingly it was thrown into the sea;
but the wheat sprouted, and a bank grew up, the harbour being ruined
for ever. A Welsh legend tells how, many years ago, a man who dwelt
in the parish of Myddvai saw three beautiful nymphs in the water, and
courted them. They, however, called him “Eater of Hard-baked Bread,”
and refused to have anything to do with him. One day, however, he
saw floating on the lake a substance resembling unbaked bread, which
he fished up and ate, and was thereby possessed of one of the lovely
water-nymphs.
‘Thus, in one form or another, bread can boast of an extensive and
widespread folk-lore, besides having in our own and other countries
been made the subject of numerous proverbs, many of which are
well-known from daily use as incorporating familiar truths. The common
saying, for instance, which says:
‘Never turn a loaf in the presence of a Menteith,’ originated with Sir
Walter Scott, in his _Tales by a Grandfather_, thus: Sir John Stewart
de Menteith was the person who betrayed Sir William Wallace to King
Edward. His signal was, when he turned a loaf set upon the table, the
guests were to rush on the patriot and seize him. Then there is the
phrase, “to cut large slices out of another man’s loaf,” referring to
those who look after themselves at their neighbour’s expense. A popular
Scotch proverb tells us that ‘Bread’s house skailed never”; in other
words, a full or hospitable house never wants visitors; and, according
to another old proverb, “Bread and milk is bairns’ meat, I wish them
sorry that lo’e it.”’
FOOTNOTES:
[1] _Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries_, by
David Livingstone. Lond. 1865, p. 543.
[2] Mulcture—fine.
[3] Lose.
[4] A measure containing 10 homers, or about 60 pints.
[5] Vol. II., 89.
[6] Vol. IV., 167, 168.
[7] _Ilios._ By Dr. H. Schliemann. London, 1880, pp. 32, 33.
[8] Prize.
[9] Knot.
[10] Hinges.
[11] Nostrils.
[12] Jongleur and joker.
[13] Took toll thrice.
[14] Some careful investigations have been made by M. Balland on the
temperature which is reached in the interior of a loaf of bread during
baking, and the results are published in the _Comptes Rendus_, Paris.
Delicate thermometers were inserted in the dough before placing it in
the oven, and on the removal of the loaf the temperature recorded was
carefully noted. It seems that, contrary to the opinions expressed
by some investigators—that the heat generated in the crumb of the
bread never exceeds 212° Fahr.—that is to say, the temperature of
boiling water—M. Balland finds that it invariably attains from 212° to
216° Fahr., while that of the outer crust, which cannot form at this
temperature, is very much higher.
[15] _The English Bread Book for Domestic Use, &c._, by Eliza Acton,
London, 1857. 8vo.
[16] _A Glossary of Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Terms._ By the Rev.
F. G. Lee. London: 1877; p. 17.
[17] He was a constant attendant in the crowds at Lord Mayor’s Day.
[18] _Tenures of Land and Customs of Manors_, originally collected by
Thomas Blount. London, 1874, 8vo.
[19] _A Collection of Old English Customs, etc._ By H. Edwards. London,
1842.
THE END.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.
=Popular Natural History of the Lower Animals.=
=Invertebrates.=
By HENRY SCHERREN, F.Z.S.,
Author of ‘Through a Pocket Lens,’ etc.
With 169 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. Cloth. 3s. 6d.
‘It gives in simple language many details concerning
the structure and habits of “backboneless animals.”
The text is profusely illustrated, and altogether the
publication is a practical elementary treatise on the
invertebrates.’—_The Morning Post._
‘It is carefully written, and quite intelligible to the
ignorant. An excellent handbook.’—_The British Weekly._
‘Interspersed with a large number of scientific facts
will be found a quantity of amusing reading.’—_The Field._
=Creatures of the Sea.=
=Being the Life Stories of Some Sea Birds, Beasts, and Fishes.=
By FRANK T. BULLEN, F.R.G.S.,
Author of ‘The Cruise of the “Cachalot,”’ etc.
With Forty Illustrations by THEO. CARRERAS.
Demy 8vo. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 7s. 6d.
Mr. Bullen takes his readers long and pleasant voyages
over the vast expanse of the Ocean, and enables them to
see with something of his own keenness of observation and
sympathetic interest the wonderful varieties of animate
life that are found upon and beneath its mighty waters.
_Those familiar with Mr. Bullen’s style hardly need to
be told that there is nothing of the dry scientific
character about these studies. His vivid and glowing
pictures of the wonderful and varied life of the Deep
Sea possess a human and lifelike quality often absent
from the elaborate descriptions of severer scientific and
technical treatises._
=The Trees and Plants of the Bible.=
By W. H. GROSER, B.Sc.
Illustrated. Cloth. 2s.
‘Apart from its religious value, this little volume must
approve itself to all lovers of botany.’—_The Times._
=The Animals of the Bible.=
By H. CHICHESTER HART,
Naturalist to Sir G. Nares’ Arctic Expedition and Professor Hull’s
Palestine Expedition.
Illustrated. Cloth. 2s.
‘One feels in reading the book that much of the
information has been obtained at first hand.’—_The
Schoolmaster._
‘A capital handbook for teachers.’—_The Saturday Review._
=Plants of the Bible.=
By Rev. GEORGE HENSLOW, M.A., F.L.S., etc.
Illustrated from Photographs of the Plants themselves.
Foolscap 8vo. Cloth, 1s.
‘A brief but reasonable introduction to Scriptural
botany.’—_The Manchester Guardian._
LONDON: THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.
_SOME STANDARD WORKS._
=The Bible Handbook.=
=An Introduction to the Study of Holy Scripture.=
By the late JOSEPH ANGUS, D.D.
New Edition thoroughly Revised, and in part Re-written by SAMUEL G.
GREEN, D.D.
Author of ‘A Handbook of Church History,’ etc.
Large crown 8vo. Cloth gilt. 6s. net.
=The Tabernacle.=
=Its History and Structure.=
By the Rev. W. SHAW CALDECOTT.
With a preface by Professor SAYCE, LL.D.
With a Map and Eighteen Illustrations and Diagrams.
Large crown 8vo. Cloth gilt. 5s.
In regard to the precise form of the Tabernacle, so
much necessarily depended upon a true understanding of
the various linear measures of the Old Testament, that
reconstruction was always attended with some doubt. Mr.
Caldecott believes, however, that he has solved the last
difficulty. =The Bible reader will find the volume of
absorbing interest. Its text is finely illustrated by
maps and plans specially prepared for the work. Professor
Sayce contributes a commendatory Preface.=
=A Handbook of Church History.=
=From the Apostolic Era to the Dawn of the Reformation.=
By SAMUEL G. GREEN, D.D.
Author of ‘A Handbook of Old Testament Hebrew,’ etc.
With Full Dates, Chronological Tables, and Index.
640 pages. 6s. net.
For the purposes of the student it will be found simple
in arrangement, lucid in style, and entirely without
bias; while careful chronological and other tables will
facilitate its use as a text-book. At the same time the
history is eminently adapted for the general reader, who
will find a subject, which is often rendered for him
unapproachable by the dry and technical method of its
treatment, dealt with in a style at once popular and
exact.
‘It is a capable and lucid narrative, which seems to
succeed in treating a history which covers 14-1/2
centuries in not too sketchy a manner, and which is not
intent in establishing any partizan doctrine.’—_The
Times._
‘It is an interesting synoptic view of the history of the
Western Church.’—_The Daily News._
‘It gives an able and interesting presentation of a
subject which has often been made repellant by the manner
in which it was treated.’—_The Scotsman._
‘It is a marvel of cheapness.’—_The Glasgow Herald._
LONDON: THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.
=The Slave In History.=
=His Sorrows and his Emancipation.=
By WILLIAM STEVENS,
Some time Editor of _The Leisure Hour_.
With Portraits and with Six Illustrations by J. FINNEMORE, R.A.
Large Crown 8vo. Cloth gilt. 6s.
_In this work Mr. Stevens presents a vivid picture of
the life and circumstances of the slave in all ages and
lands._ The influence of Christianity on the slave life,
and the steps by which Christian nations successfully
shook themselves free from complicity in slave-holding
are carefully detailed; whilst the chief workers in
the great emancipation movements of modern times are
in turn brought before the reader’s attention. _The
volume furnishes at once the most comprehensive and the
most up-to-date survey of the slavery question._ The
illustrations include some vivid pictures of slave-life,
and incidents in the emancipation movement.
=The China Martyrs of 1900.=
=A Complete Roll of the Christian Heroes Martyred in China in 1900,
with Narratives of Survivors.=
Compiled and Edited by ROBERT COVENTRY FORSYTH, For 18 years a
Missionary in China of the Baptist Missionary Society.
With 144 Portraits and other Illustrations.
Demy 8vo. Cloth gilt 7s. 6d.
This volume seeks to place on record in a permanent
form a complete account of the terrible convulsion in
China in the year 1900, known as the Boxer Movement. It
contains the thrilling story of how death, for Christ’s
sake, was bravely met in many of its most hideous forms
by missionaries and native Christians alike. _It also
describes some of the most miraculous escapes from death
on the part of missionaries and native Christians._
The story of the siege of Peking is described from a
Christian point of view, and the author sums up his study
of the great episode in the conviction that in China of
to-day, as in other parts of the world in all ages, the
blood of the martyrs will prove to be the seed of the
Church.
=Thirty Years In Madagascar.=
By the Rev. T. T. MATTHEWS, Of the London Missionary Society.
With Sixty-Two Portraits and other Illustrations from Photographs and
Sketches. Demy 8vo. Cloth gilt. 6s.
‘Mr. Matthews’ story forms a splendid record of good
work accomplished, and the volume is by far the most
interesting and entertaining of all the books which have
been published lately concerning missionary life in the
great African island.’ _The Athenæum._
‘It is a remarkable record of Christian activity.’—_The
Pall Mall Gazette._
‘The intrinsic worth of the book ought to ensure its
success, for it takes a place of its own among Missionary
volumes.’—_The Examiner._
_BIOGRAPHICAL WORKS._
=Champions of the Truth.=
=Short Lives of Christian Leaders in Thought and Action. By various
Writers.=
Edited by A. R. BUCKLAND, M.A.
With Portraits. Crown 8vo. Cloth gilt. 3s. 6d.
‘Here are pen portraits of eighteen Evangelical teachers,
beginning with Wyclif and ending with Spurgeon. It need
hardly be said, perhaps, that their eighteen biographers
treat them from about the same point of view. The
admirable thing is that, though that point of view is
one with which a given reader may not be so fortunate
as to find himself in sympathy, it is one which has the
advantage of showing the subject of the biography at his
best. A very pleasant volume, and the more to be valued
for the sake of its fifteen portraits.’—_The Academy._
=Hugh Latimer.=
By ROBERT DEMAUS, M.A.
Author of ‘William Tindale,’ etc.
New Edition, Revised. With a Portrait. Large crown 8vo.
Cloth gilt. 3s. 6d.
The First Edition of this work was published by the
Society in 1869, but so careful was the Author in his
method and research that it still ranks as the STANDARD
LIFE OF THE GREAT REFORMER.
=The Homes and Haunts of Luther.=
By JOHN STOUGHTON, D.D.
Third Edition. Thoroughly Revised by C. H. IRWIN, M.A.
With Eleven Illustrations. Crown 8vo. Cloth gilt. 2s. 6d.
Several new Illustrations appear in this Third Edition,
including a fine reproduction of a very rare portrait
of Luther by Cranach. The reviser’s notes contain a
considerable amount of new material, especially in regard
to Wittenberg and the restoration of its historic Castle
Church.
‘The teaching of this sturdy Protestant Reformer
re-shaped the Religious history of the world; and the
story of his life as told in these fascinating pages
cannot be too often enforced.’—_The Record._
A SELECTION FROM THE
LIST OF WORKS OF TRAVEL
=An Artist’s Walks in Bible Lands.=
By HENRY A. HARPER, Author of “Walks in Palestine,” etc.
With a Photogravure Frontispiece, and 55 other fine Illustrations from
Drawings by the Author. Super royal 8vo. Cloth gilt, 6s. net.
“Mr. Harper could give a capital pen-picture of what
he saw, and by the aid of his pencil was enabled to
represent still more vividly the aspects of Eastern
travel which most strikingly impressed him.”—_The
Scotsman._
“Mr. Harper had a ready and powerful pen, and to this
gift he added that of artistic drawing. We are in the
hands of a guide who knows his way, and tells what to see
and how best to see it.”—_The Spectator._
=In Scripture Lands.=
=New Views of Sacred Places.=
By EDWARD L. WILSON.
With 150 Original Illustrations engraved from Photographs taken by the
Author. Crown 4to. Cloth elegant, gilt top, 15s.
Mr. Wilson’s journey in Scripture Lands was the first
instance in which a fully equipped artist photographer
has visited the scenes made memorable by the Bible
narratives, and has reproduced both by camera and by
word-painting the people, the ruins, and the famous spots
which have become household words throughout Christendom.
=A Visit to Bashan and Argob.=
By Major ALGERNON HEBER-PERCY.
With an Introduction by the Rev. Canon TRISTRAM. With
many Illustrations from hitherto unpublished Photographs,
taken by the Author. Small 4to. Cloth, 6s. Cloth, extra
gilt, gilt edges, 7s. 6d.
“It furnishes in a pleasing style many very interesting
particulars of the people, their habits, customs,
laws, and religious faith, with many photographs of
architecture and other relics of the past grandeur of the
land of King Og and the ‘Cities of the Giants.’”—_Daily
News._
=Ten Years’ Digging In Egypt, 1881-1891.=
By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE,
Author of “Pyramids of Gizeh,” “Hawara,” “Medum,” etc.
Illustrated. Crown 8vo. Cloth, 6s.
“A popular summary of the results attained by one of the
most capable and successful explorers of Egypt. He tells
his story so well and so instructively, and it is so
well worth telling, that his little book will doubtless
command the wide popularity it certainly deserves.”—_The
Times._
TRAVEL—
=Rambles In Japan: The Land of the Rising Sun.=
By the Rev. Canon TRISTRAM, D.D., LL.D., Author of “The Land of Moab,”
“The Natural History of the Bible,” etc. With many Illustrations by
EDWARD WHYMPER, from Photographs and Sketches. Demy 8vo. Cloth, gilt
top, 10s. 6d.
“Dr. Tristram is an experienced traveller, keen in
observation and kindly in appreciation, an accomplished
field-naturalist, and an enthusiastic collector of
things rare or beautiful both in nature and art. These
qualities have stood him in good stead during his visit
to Japan.”—_The Times._
=Thirty Years in Madagascar.=
By the Rev. T. T. MATTHEWS, of the London Missionary Society.
With 60 portraits and other Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 6s.
“The great merit of the work lies in the many pleasing
descriptions of the country and of the people—their
customs, religion, language, and social life. The
illustrations are in all respects admirable.”—_The
Scotsman._
=The Chronicles of the Sid; Or, The Life and Travels of Adelia Gates.=
By ADELA E. ORPEN, Author of “Stories of Precious Stones,” “Margareta
Colberg,” etc.
With many Illustrations. Crown 8vo. Cloth boards, 7s. 6d.
This book is a record of a very remarkable series of
travels undertaken by a lady named Adelia Gates. Alone
and unaided she has trodden, not only the beaten tracks,
but has also traversed the Desert of Sahara, the Nile
as far as Wady Halfa, Palestine, and all parts of
Iceland—these later trips beginning at an age when most
ladies consider their life-work done.
=Our Journey to Sinai.=
=A Visit to the Convent of St. Catarina.=
By Mrs. R. L. BENSLY.
With a Chapter on some Readings of the Sinai Palimpsest, by F. C.
BURKITT, M.A. Illustrated from Photographs taken by the Author. Crown
8vo. Cloth, 3s. 6d.
“The scholarly enthusiasm which attracted Professor
Bensly to Mount Sinai, and the perennial fascinations
of oriental travel are well reflected in Mrs. Bensly’s
pages, and a concluding chapter by Mr. Burkitt,
containing a part of the account of the Sinai Palimpsest
which he gave at the Church Congress, adds not a little
to the value and interest of the volume.”—_The Times._
=Among the Tibetans.=
By ISABELLA BIRD BISHOP, F.R.G.S.
With Illustrations by EDWARD WHYMPER. Crown 8vo. Cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._;
paper cover, 1_s._
With her power of vivid description Mrs. Bishop enables
the reader to realise much of the daily life and many of
the strange scenes to be witnessed in that far-off land.
LONDON: THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.